Additive Manufacturing of Antennas and RF Components for SATCOM: A Review

In the past few years, additive manufacturing (AM) technology has developed into a revolutionary factor in the design and manufacturing of satellite RF/antenna components, providing benefits over traditional manufacturing techniques, such as cost-efficient, lightweight structure, complex design flexibility, and monolithically integrates different parts in signal structure. AM profoundly impacts how satellite antennas, waveguides, and other RF components are manufactured and deployed across several orbital regimes. However, complex atmospheric conditions in space primarily affect satellite system performance, degrading antenna efficiency and longevity. This is due to many reasons, mainly extreme thermal cycle variation, atmospheric radiations, vacuum environment, and mechanical pressure; hence the choice of AM technique and material are crucial for onboard satellite components design to ensure system performance stability. Based on the latest research, this paper provides a review of current state-of-the-art AM printed antennas and RF components incorporating different AM techniques and materials to obtain specific design characteristics such as high gain, wide bandwidth, beamforming, and better power handling capacity, particularly for Ku, K, and Ka-band satellite communication (SATCOM). Furthermore, the paper highlights some techniques to enhance the performance of existing AM technologies and material properties, making them suitable for onboard SATCOM applications that withstand extreme atmospheric conditions. The paper serves as a valuable guide on the AM of SATCOM antenna/RF component design, providing insights into material selection and AM techniques for efficient fabrication.